


but on a wednesday, in a cafe...

by vanillaloey



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, word vomit
Language: Filipino
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27454240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanillaloey/pseuds/vanillaloey
Summary: Jongdae watched it begin again.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Oh Sehun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	but on a wednesday, in a cafe...

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Butterflies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108298) by [queenchenhun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenchenhun/pseuds/queenchenhun). 



> This is kinda??? a sequel to queenchenhun's Butterflies. It's better if you read that one first, but this can also go as a standalone. Idk if i give justice, but hehe i hope you like it!!!!
> 
> Unbeta-d; apologies agad sa mga error hehe
> 
> Dedicated to spermsilogzxczxsx
> 
> Song for this fic: Taylor Swift's Begin Again

"Mukhang problemado ka ah," pansin kay Jongdae ng katrabaho niyang si Chanyeol habang nag-aayos ng payroll. Cut off na naman kasi kaya busy na naman silang nasa Finance department. 

Biglang sumabat yung HR friend nilang si Baekhyun. "Pa'no kasi 'di na naman sila nagtagal nung huling jowaers niya," 

"Hindi ko jowa 'yun!" Jongdae said in his defense. "Friendly dates lang kasi."

"E 'di okay," Baekhyun rolled his eyes. Alam naman kasi nila lagi ang setup ni Jongdae. 

"Alam mo kasi, 'wag na makipag-date kung 'di ka naman pala sigurado sa tao," sabi ni Chanyeol, at syempre ginatungan naman ito ni Baek.

"Eh how'd you get to know a person if you won't date them, 'di ba? Tyaka kaya nga may dating phase so you'd know if jowable ba or not."

"Halos five months na silang nag-de-date nang walang label nung Changmin na 'yon, Baekhyun."

Jongdae cleared his throat and waved his hands in front of him. "Uh, hello? Andito ako, oh? 'Wag niyo naman ako pag-usapan na parang wala ako?"

Natawa lang 'yong dalawa. 

Well, akala naman kasi talaga ni Jongdae mauuwi na sa seryosong relasyon 'yong meron sila ni Changmin. They met in Cebu when Jongdae, along with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, went there for a business trip. Pagbalik nila ng Manila, Jongdae learned na sa may BGC rin pala nagtatrabaho si Changmin, just a couple of blocks away from his building. Nagkasalubong kasi sila sa may Tim Hortons habang nabili si Jongdae ng kape.

It was him who broke it off, he said it nicely naman since he's not the one who would ghost people. Habang tumatagal kasi nakikita niya yung malaking difference nilang dalawa, like how the guy would react at the songs he loves to play inside the car, or his outfit whenever they have dinner dates. And Jongdae thought why would he need to continue impressing the guy just so they can have something deeper? 

Though he thought that everything looked forced now, it seems like Jongdae's back to zero. But then again, he's an independent person who can live without a partner.

Sigh.

Of course si Jongdae ang topic ng barkada that one time they had the chance to meet again with his internet-turned-real-life friends. Nasa SNR sila sa may Glorietta during a public holiday so wala silang pasok lahat.

"In fairness naman, ayan pinakamatagal na dinate mo," Junmyeon said habang naglalagay ng hot sauce sa pizza niya. 

"True 'yan, Akala ko pa naman the next time we meet, jowa mo na 'yan eh," Minseok agreed bago nagpalinga-linga sa may counter. "Tagal naman nung fries natin."

"Pero on a serious note, okay na rin 'yan 'no, baka naman kasi hindi siya tinatrato nang maayos," Jose Yixing Andres Jose Epifanio said. Hindi niya talaga totoong pangalan 'yan, by the way. Contact name lang niya yan sa phone ni Jongdae. 

Hinampas naman ni Jongin si Jongdae, "Tangina ka kasi, kung umamin ka nang maayos sa crush mo dati eh di sana may jowa ka na ngayon?"

"Huh, sino?" Kunot-noong tanong ni Jongdae sa mga kaibigan. 

"Edi si Sehun???"

Napanguso lang si Jongdae, then shrugged. "I doubt naman talagang hindi niya narinig 'yon. Ang sabihin niyo, hindi niya lang talaga ako gusto."

"Ay sus, kung nag-usap lang kayo no'n e 'di hindi mo na kailangan makipag-date sa kung sino-sino," Junmyeon said. 

"Di mo rin sure," Jongdae muttered as he took a bite of his pizza. 

Well, to top it off, that was, like, three years ago. 

Masyadong naging busy si Jongdae sa acads dahil sa research nila that time kaya bibihira na lang din niya makita si Sehun sa may SM. Even his weekends are booked because of it, plus because of other requirements he had to do for his classes. Mukhang ganoon din naman ka-hectic ang schedule ni Sehun, dahil bihira na lang rin ito nag-o-online; hindi kasi masyadong nakikita ni Jongdae mga tweets nito every time he updates his fics.

To add stress during Jongdae's busy days, biglang ni-restrict ng Twitter 'yong account niya sa hindi niya alam na dahilan, hanggang sa na-suspend ito. He tried to retrieve it countless times, pero sa kasamaang palad, hindi siya natulungan ng lintik na Twitter support na 'yan. Masyadong nalungkot si Jongdae doon dahil andun lahat ng fics na ginawa niya, also to think na he had lots of readers who are waiting for his updates dahil masyado nang 360 degree ang plot ng story, sadyang kaabang-abang for everyone.

And so he decided to leave stan Twitter for good, well, Twitter in general. Sa Facebook na lang rin siya nag-u-update tapos yung mga moots-turned-friends niya, ayon, sa Viber na lang rin sila nag-uusap. Pero simula nung nawala yung Twitter account niya, bihira na lang rin siya mag-check ng social media accounts.

As per his friendship with Sehun, they suddenly lost connection nang mag-4th year si Jongdae (that being Sehun as 3rd year that time). Nawala kasi 'yong phone niya one time they went to Manila for a seminar sa Sta. Mesa branch ng university nila. Kapag minamalas ka nga naman talaga. 

He started shrugging off the feeling, because he thinks that he's right all along: that they're not really meant to be together (wow, ang drama). Pero ayun nga, since "happy crush" lang naman talaga ang lahat, it's not really that deep for him to get hurt just because it already ended before they even started. 

"Hoy, tara na lunch na tayo," Baekhyun whined at nagtatalon na sa likuran ng cubicle nila Jongdae at Chanyeol. 11 am kasi sila nag-lu-lunch para hindi abutan ng maraming tao sa mga kainan. Hirap kasi makahanap ng upuan.

"Sa'n niyo ba gusto?" Chanyeol asked, finishing his work then locking his computer screen.

"Gusto ko ng pizza hut," Baekhyun pouted, "Ay tara doon tayo sa may St. Lukes.

"Jusko naman, Baekhyun, ang mahal naman ng gusto mong kainan," saway ni Jongdae. "Gusto mo lang maghanap ng gwapo dun na nurse eh,"

"Hindi naman ako makaka-man hunt, may bakod," Baekhyun snuck a glance at Chanyeol who's already glaring at him. "Tyaka lilibre naman ako ni Chan, 'di ba hehe."

Jongdae just rolled his eyes pero pumayag rin naman na doon na lang kumain. Sakto rin na may DQ sa tabi nung Pizza Hut, makakapag-ice cream siya after. 

St. Lukes Global City is just a couple of buildings away from theirs. As in isang tawid lang. Bihira lang sila mag-lunch dito kasi mahal nga yung mga pagkain, also Jongdae is not fond of hospitals kaya he doesn't really like there that much. 

The hospital is busy as usual, mga halatang mayayaman rin ang mga nagpapagamot. Sa ground floor lang naman 'yong pizza hut kaya hindi na nila need mag-elevator (there's also a cafeteria sa may fifth floor, mas maraming choices of food).

They got settled on their seats at nag-order ng food nila. Jongdae got himself a slice of pizza plus a plate of Bolognese pasta. 'Yong dalawang nagliligawan, tag-isang slice lang ng pizza. Bibili daw kasi sila ng waffle sa 5th floor after they eat. 

Just a normal lunch time for the trio, nagbabasa lang si Jongdae ng novel sa ebook reader niya, while the other two catches up on some Netflix series they downloaded. They also casually talk about some employees in their company na ang laki ng sweldo pero wala naman masyadong ginagawa. Sana all na lang talaga. 

"Dae, sama ka ba sa taas? Bili kami ng Belgian waffle," Tanong ni Baekhyun as they stood up.

"Intay ko na lang kayo dito, bibili ako dito sa DQ." 

"Oki," The two left eventually, leaving Jongdae alone on his own. He went to the store next to Pizza Hut's and ordered Strawberry Banana blizzard. Bumalik siya sa pagkakaupo doon sa may pwesto nila sa Pizza Hut habang kumakain ng ice cream nang madako ang tingin niya sa mga cake na naka-display sa Mary Grace. Bale ganito kasi yung store arrangement sa loob: DQ - Pizza Hut - Mary Grace.

Jongdae's fond of cakes pero well, mahal pagkain sa Mary Grace kaya bihira lang siya bumili dito. He got up from his seat at lumapit doon sa may glass display ng cafe. Of course pricey ang mga pastries nila, pero he thought na he might buy one sa birthday niya tapos ishe-share niya sa mga ka-team niya sa office. Paborito rin kasi ng department nila yung chocolate mousse cake from the said cafe.

"Jongdae?" 

Napalingon naman si Jongdae sa nagsalita. Nanlaki ang mata niya nang makita kung sino ang nagsalita. Wow... namamalikmata ba siya?

"Ikaw nga!" Tuwang sabi ng matangkad na lalaki sa harap niya. Grabe it's been three years, pero hindi na yata talaga nababawasan pagiging gwapo nito... lalo na sa suot nitong puting uniform. 

"Sehun?" He finally said. "A-anong ginagawa mo dito?"

"I work here," Napansin ni Jongdae ang name tag sa may damit ni Sehun. Oo nga... "Ngayon lang kita nakita ulit... are you working around the area?"

"Ah, oo, pero kaka-three months pa lang namin. Sa Makati kasi talaga 'yong office namin, kaso nag-lipat kami nung tapos na yung contract ng company sa building." He explained. Hindi niya alam paano siya nakapagsalita nang mahaba sa harap ni Sehun, who's towering over him, by the way, looking glorious as ever. 

"Oh..." Sehun said, nodding in understanding. Nanatiling nakatitig si Sehun sa kanya, mukha na silang tangang nakatayo sa gitna ng Mary Grace, pero hindi pansin ni Jongdae 'yon. All he can think is that, Sehun's in front of him... 'yong crush niya over the past years. At hindi niya alam ma-fe-feel sa information na 'to na binigay sa kanya ng universe. 

"Jongdae, tara na!" He got back to his senses nang lumapit sa kanya sina Chanyeol at Baekhyun na may dala-dalang Belgian waffles. Baekhyun turned his attention to Sehun, na tahimik lang sa gilid, giving him a smile. "Hello, kilala mo ba 'tong si Jongdae?"

"We're old friends," Jongdae answered bago pa man makapagsalita sa Sehun. Binigyan lang siya ni Baekhyun ng makahulugang tingin pero patay-malisya lang siya sa harap ng mga kaibigan. 

"Hmm, okay. Intay ka namin sa labas," his officemate said then dragged Chanyeol's out, leaving the two alone again.

Napahawak si Sehun sa ulo niya. "Uh, Jongdae?"

"Bakit?"

Sehun held out his phone in front of them. "Can you put your number on my phone? It's been a while since we hung out," There's a small smile playing on his lips and Jongdae noticed it. The latter hesitated, but grabbed the phone in front of him to dial his number. 

"Here," He returned the phone to Sehun, then just a few seconds, he heard his phone ring. Wow, meron na ulit siyang number ni Sehun Oh. What a day. "I kinda need to go na? Ma-o-overbreak kasi ako," He said sheepishly.

"Sige," Ganoon pa rin ang tingin ni Sehun sa kanya. Hindi niya maipaliwanag kung ano or bakit, pero it's making him think that the latter has something more to say. 

Paalis na sana siya nang tawagin ulit siya ng nurse. "Jongdae... let's go out sometimes?"

Wednesday ang rest day ni Jongdae, that's why he told Sehun na Wednesday na lang sila mag-meet. Lunch out lang naman sa may Sunnies Cafe sa may High Street ang usapan nila. Sakto lang rin naman na sa Bicutan lang nag-re-rent ng apartment si Jongdae, tapos well si Sehun, may kotse naman so hindi hassle. Ayaw pa nga pumayag ni Sehun na pagpuntahin si Jongdae during his rest day because he should be resting daw, but the latter insisted dahil alam niyang hindi siya makakapagtrabaho nang maayos after that, knowing na nakasama niya sa lunch si Sehun Oh. 

Kakababa lang ni Jongdae sa BGC bus and he's walking along High Street. To say that he's nervous is an understatement. Natatakot siya, to be honest. Hindi niya kasi alam kung ano na naman kakahantungan nito. Saan siya dadalhin nito, lalo na't a buried feeling suddenly started to pop out again. 

The weekend after nung pagkikita nila ni Sehun sa Mary Grace, nagkita-kita ulit silang magkakaibigan at napag-usapan ang nangyari. He even recalled what Junmyeon said: _Ay nako, Jongdae, kapag hindi pa rin naging successful 'yan, papaguuntugin ko na kayong dalawa._

 _Galaw galaw na, bhie, ayan na 'yong potential jowa oh_ , sabi naman ni Jongin. Sumang-ayon naman dito sina Yixing at Minseok. 

Jongdae bit his lip as he take a hold of the cafe's door. Tanaw na niya agad si Sehun, nakatalikod sa kanya, mukhang busy sa phone. He took a deep breath. _Jongdae, andito ka na, pero hindi ka pa niya nakikita... pwede ka pang mag-backout._

Ang lakas ng kabog ng dibdib niya. Napag-isipan niyang umalis at mag-text na lang kay Sehun na may emergency kaya hindi siya makakapunta. 

Pero nakakailang hakbang pa lang siya nang may humawak sa braso niya. "Hey, don't leave."

Jongdae blinked a few times, speechless. Sehun grabbed his hand and intertwined it with him. "Wag ka munang umalis, please? I waited for this to happen."

Walang nagawa si Jongdae kundi tumango. _Hay, ang rupok mo, Jongdae._

So they entered the cafe together, with Jongdae guarding his heart that's almost falling out of his rib cage. He thought he's finally getting over what he feels towards Sehun over the past few years.

But on a Wednesday, in a cafe, he watched it begin again. 


End file.
